Valtrex and Outbreaks: A Guest Post

A very good friend of mine confided in me years ago that she was diagnosed with herpes. It was right around the time I started blogging and she told me one day she wanted to share her story, she wanted to help others who were in her situation and let others know they are not alone. Since then she has struggled with how she and I should approach this and recently she send me a huge long email about how she was ready, she sent me her story and was finally ready for me to share it. I have since taken what she sent me and condensed it, rewrote some of it and with her permission I am sharing her story. So this is her story, I will refer to her simply as “A” as she asked me to keep her anonymous.

She remembers walking into the doctor’s office and sitting on the uncomfortable table waiting for her results. A few days prior she went in because she thought maybe she had a UTI, The doctor told her it looked as if she had herpes but that they would need to wait for the test results to come back. The doctor knocked and came in. He shook his head and confirmed her worst nightmare…Her test came back positive for Herpes, he handed her a prescription and left…She sat there absolutely devastated. How could this have happened? She left the office and drove home…She cried the whole way home and was depressed for days. That was 8 years ago and today she has come a long way.

Did you know One out of every six people has genital herpes?

When she was first diagnosed she knew nothing about it…her doctor did not inform her of ANYTHING and she ended up having to do a lot of research on her own. Her first thoughts after being diagnosed were how is this going to affect her life? Can she have children safely? Will she have to break up with her new boyfriend? Is it going to be hard to treat? She was left with so many questions and decided to turn to the internet. She found many medical sites but very little sites about personal experience…That is the biggest reason she decided she wanted to share her story with my readers and I…She wants to let people know they are not alone…

8 years later she is successful, she has a job, she is married(she got engaged shortly after her diagnosis) and even thinking about having children soon(Her and her husband are debating on adopting or having their own children, but doctors have told her she should be able to get pregnant and give birth with no issues). In the 8 years since she has been diagnosed, she has had only 2 outbreaks, the first one was awful and very painful, but the second one was barely noticeable. She takes daily medication that helps manage the symptoms. She is no longer stuck in the “pity party” attitude she had when she was first diagnosed, she often even forgets she has herpes because it no longer causes her any issues. She wants anyone out there struggling to know you are not alone, If you have just been diagnosed, remember there are plenty of people who have been in your situation and they know what you are going through. You might get depressed and it might seem devastating but one day you will learn to live successful with your diagnosis and it’s important to find what medication works best for you to manage your symptoms.

If you experience any of these symptoms I suggest contacting your doctor.(Taken from Web MD)

You might notice symptoms within a few days to a couple of weeks after the initial contact. Or, you might not have an initial outbreak of symptoms until months or even years after becoming infected.

When symptoms occur soon after a person is infected, they tend to be severe. They may start as small blisters that eventually break open and produce raw, painful sores that scab and heal over within a few weeks. The blisters and sores may be accompanied by flu-like symptoms with fever and swollen lymph nodes.

I want to thank A so much for sharing her story with my readers and I. I think she is a strong woman and as someone who deals with mental health issues, I understand what she went through in the sense of feeling devastated and alone. I am so proud of her for sharing her story and I think she is one amazing woman!

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About Me:

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My name is Stephy and I reside in Vermont. I am married to Scott, Step Mom to Justine and Pet Guardian of Fuzzy Bear, Loki, and Rosie.
I have been blogging since 2010 and I just want to welcome you to my blog! If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me at stephscheersandjeers@gmail.com